This year’s BAFTA Awards were held on the 10th and 11th of April from a very empty Royal Albert Hall, with all nominees attending via Zoom. The ceremony had been postponed due to the current COVID-19 pandemic but was able to go ahead, albeit in a different format, and honour the work that has been done in the last year.
The main winners from the Awards were:
- Best Film – Nomadland
- Best British Film – Promising Young Woman
- Best Actress – Frances McDormand, Nomadland
- Best Actor – Sir Anthony Hopkins, The Father
- Best Supporting Actress – Yuh-Jung Youn, Minari
- Best Supporting Actor – Daniel Kaluuya, Judas and the Black Messiah
- Best Director – Chloe Zhao, Nomadland
‘Nomadland’ scooped the most awards on the night including ‘Best Film’, ‘Best Actress’, and ‘Best Director’. The drama depicts the journey of a woman who lives in the American West, in a van, following the financial crash. Director, Chloe Zhao, is the second woman ever to win the ‘Best Director’ award despite its 53-year history, and she is also the first woman of colour to receive the prize.
Emerald Fennell, writer and director of ‘Promising Young Woman,’ also scooped the award for ‘Best Original Screenplay.’ The revenge thriller tells the story of a woman who pretends to be drunk when men pick her up in bars. The film, starring Carey Mulligan, has been received with much scepticism and discussion around its handling of such a sensitive subject manner.
Sir Anthony Hopkins did not attend the ceremony, even though it was virtual, and instead opted for an evening of painting. Speaking after the ceremony, the actor declared his surprise at winning the award. The 89-year-old is the oldest ever winner of the award, 27-years after his last BAFTA win. He explained the confusion that he had when he heard cheering from his living room, assuming that everyone was watching a football match, before realising that he had clinched the award.
Yuh-Jung Youn took home the award for ‘Best Supporting Actress’ for her portrayal of a grandmother in the Korean American Drama ‘Minari,’ but her acceptance speech was met with much surprise. The 73-year-old referred to the British public as “snobbish” people whilst thanking them for the award. She said: “Every award is meaningful, but this one especially recognised British people, known as very snobbish people, and they approved me as a good actor so I’m very, very privileged,” and so it seems that she may have meant it in a positive way despite it being able to be easily misconstrued.
The EE Rising Star Award was given to 18-year-old Bukky Bakray for her portrayal of a teenage schoolgirl who is abandoned by her mother in the low-budget film ‘Rocks.’ It was the youngsters first acting role, and the film was amongst ‘Nomadland’ with the highest number of nominations, at seven each. ‘Rocks’ was also the recipient of the casting award for its, largely novice, young star cast.
Whilst the awards looked a little different this year, there were still some memorable moments with the absence of some big names, and the appearance of some family members during acceptance speeches. Hopefully, next year will bring the usual spectacle that the public has become accustomed to.
Edited by Sophie Alexander – Entertainment Editor
Header Image by Christos Alamaniotis – Head of Design
